I am a huge fan of all things shared-knowledge. I get excited, dive right in, and always feel like I learn so much regardless of how much I’m able to contribute (though I try to always put in all that I can). I hope, and believe, that many of you are the same way and thought I would make sure you all know about two awesome ways for sharing peer-to-peer knowledge, especially with peers you didn’t know you had!
Net Squared Community Blog: Net Squared “enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.” This is a great place to hear about what other organizations are doing, regardless of where they may be on the adoption timeline for different new media tools. I love the varied topics and people that post here, keeping me exposed to all sorts of fields. It is a community blog, so feel free to set up your free account with Net Squared and post to the blog as well!
NTEN Affinity Groups: NTEN is a membership organization of nonprofit technology professionals that “aspires to a world where all nonprofit organizations skillfully and confidently use technology to meet community needs and fulfill their missions.” You don’t have to be a member to join the affinity groups, though! There are many different topic areas covered and it’s a terrific way to find resources and contacts that can help answer questions or provide advice, especially for areas where you previously didn’t know quite who to ask. Check out the lists and join groups that match your interests!
Where do you find peer-to-peer help when you have a question or need advice? Do you prefer on or offline help; people you know already or people you may know via a network (like Net Squared or NTEN)?
Nice, Amy! Of course, I have recently found my Twitter network to be my go-to people resource lately (including you, @amyrsward!). I work remotely, so the online help and connections I get through Twitter are essential for my daily work life. I started by following people I already knew through NTEN, and then branched out from there. I like face-to-face opportunities to connect on different levels and for different reasons. To share anecdotes, success and challenge stories, and, maybe most importantly, laughs! Online, I like answers to specific questions, and to give answers to specific questions.
That’s terrific; thanks for sharing, Annaliese! I’m curious how you continue to find more interesting folks to follow on Twitter for folks who may still be looking to expand their networks. Do you watch for ‘conversations’ on Twitter between someone you follow and someone new, and then follow them, too? Or do you use the Find feature to check for contacts in your email contact list that have accounts?
I do a mix of all the options, really, but lately have found more people to follow by checking out my new followers! Thanks again for sharing!
I use a mix too:
– Finding interesting conversations (and then those interesting folks to follow) between my network and folks outside my network
– Using the SMS keyword follow or kewyword/hashtag searches in http://summize.com
– Looking at the twitter packs, primarily the nonprofit pack: http://tinyurl.com/5hdfum
– Contact info on blogs I read. Lots of folks add their twitter names!
I haven’t used the address book/contacts finder tools – I’m always wary of that!